John Howard Yoder Digital Library

About this collection

This digital library holds primarily unpublished writings of Mennonite theologian John Howard Yoder. All materials available here are held in the collections of the Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary Library (Elkhart, Indiana), Goshen College's Mennonite Historical Library (Goshen, Indiana), or the Mennonite Church USA Archives (Goshen, Indiana). Other materials in this library include photographs of Yoder, selected published works by Yoder, and other scholarly documents pertaining to Yoder's career.

John Howard Yoder (1927-1997) was a Mennonite theologian and ethicist perhaps best known for his defense of pacifism. Educated at Goshen College and the University of Basel, Yoder served on the faculty of Goshen Biblical Seminary (1958-1959), Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary (1960-1984, 1997), and Notre Dame University (1967-1997). His 1972 book, The Politics of Jesus, was named one of the top five theology books of the 20th century by Christianity Today.

In 2013, the Mennonite Church USA convened a discernment group that seeks "to continue healing and reconciliation work in the wake of John Howard Yoder’s abuse of women and ongoing questions about how the church responded to it."

Initial funding for the John Howard Yoder Digital Library came from the generous support of the Shalom Foundation. Further development of this project is made possible by a grant from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services, administered by the Indiana State Library.